Memoirs of a Master
by Jadelyn Tate
Summary: RJ remembers his first student and how he ended up owning a pizza parlor. ON HOLD
1. Chapter 1: RJ Remembers

**Author:** Jadelyn Tate  
**Story:** Memoirs of a Master  
**Pairings:**   
**Disclaimer:** I own Layla, Mistress Lin Ta, and this idea. I own nothing else, I do this merely for fun, not profit  
**Summary:** RJ remembers his first student and how he ended up owning a pizza parlor.  
**Author Notes:** I told myself I wasn't going to do another fic right now, what with planning Cosmic, writing Broken Wings and Kith & Kin, and making graphics but do I ever listen to myself? Nooooooooooooo.

* * *

_With you as company  
I left all I knew and found  
A better part of me, yeah_  
**- "Until You" by David De Lautour**

* * *

RJ stared at his students in amusement. Theo, as usual, was completely clean. Casey and Lily would have been clean as well if it weren't for the fact the were soaked from the suds of the dishwater. Nearby Fran smiled in amusement. Absently noticing an unusual tension from his blue ranger, RJ stepped fully into the room.

"We're sorry RJ, we just...," Lily began but was cut off by Casey.

"It was my fault. I threw water first," he told him. RJ's lips twitched as the yellow ranger shot her red teammate an annoyed look.

"I don't care. You two both clean it up," he told them before smiling at Fran. "Why don't you head home? These two can clean the rest of the place."

Fran smiled at him and gratefully headed to the clean up room he'd installed after the "birthday party from hell." Smiling, RJ turned to Theo and motioned he could leave too. The blue ranger didn't say anything as he quickly went upstairs. As RJ watched the red and yellow rangers wipe themselves off before going to clean the rest of the kitchen, his mind wandered back a time when he'd been in the exact same situation back at the monastery.

"_RJ!" Layla yelled as he jokingly flicked her with water. RJ just grinned wolfishly as he cupped his hand into the sink in the monastery kitchen and flung it at his student. Layla stood there, covered in suds, glaring at him. As RJ laughed, her eyes narrowed and without warning the youngest master the monastery ever had, found himself soaked. Gingerly, he wiped the water from his face and shot his student a look. Layla just grinned, the sink hose held tightly in her grip. _

"_What is going on in here?!" Mistress Lin Ta asked as she came in. RJ turned to her as Layla abruptly dropped the hose and bowed. He did the same, though with less awe and respect than his student. Mistress Lin Ta had been one of the most vocal at his hearing the other day and for that he held a grudge. He knew it was against the teachings and he should let go but she had never been very fond of him and he knew it and so the feelings of betrayal and hurt remained._

"_I apologize Mistress. I was instructing my student in her punishment of cleaning the dishes for her transgression this afternoon and we…lost ourselves." He told her briefly, his usual surfer personality disappearing as always when confronted with another Master. Mistress Lin Ta stared at him coolly. _

"_You are a Master now, Richard. Act like it," she ordered. Ignoring his face at the use of his first name, she turned to Layla. _

"_Clean this mess up and report back tomorrow. Even if your Master forgot his place, you should not have," she scolded before turning on her heal and leaving. RJ sighed as Layla shot a dark look in the direction Mistress Lin Ta had left. He gingerly made his way over to her and gave her a hug. She buried her face in his chest as she sniffled._

"_I'm sorry, my Vixen. She's taking her anger at me out on you. It's unfair," he whispered as his hand massaged her hair. She stepped away, wiping her eyes._

"_Why is she so angry at you? You've done nothing wrong; I'm one of the best here!" she exclaimed angrily. RJ didn't reply; he simply grabbed a cloth and began wiping up the water. _

RJ shook his head of the memory. He'd never had the chance to tell Layla why the Masters and Mistress's had been so angry with him. It wasn't something he could explain to her without changing their entire relationship. So he'd never told her. And after he'd been informed that he would no longer be Layla's Master, he'd left without saying goodbye. Now, all he had of her was his memory, the necklace she'd made him, and the pizza shop they'd jokingly planned during one sleepless night.

"_RJ?" Layla asked quietly. RJ's eyes snapped open and he looked across the meditation table at Layla. _

"_Yes?" he asked, knowing from her expression that meditation was the last thing on her mind this full moon._

"_Do you think I could get a job outside of the monastery one day?" she asked quietly. RJ knocked his head to the side._

"_Many of us have normal lives outside the monastery, my vixen," he replied. She frowned, biting her lower lip._

"_What if I want to open a pizza shop?" she asked in a challenging sort of tone. RJ smiled._

"_Pizza is good. How would you decorate it though? To make it stand out?" he asked quietly. Her face lit up._

"_A jungle theme! There would be vines everywhere and jungle animals hidden in all the nooks and crannies," she told him excitedly. He chuckled. _

"_And what would you call this jungle pizza place?" he asked, his eyes catching a soft movement on the edge of the clearing. He ignored Master Mao as he smiled indulgently at his student. _

"_Jungle Karma Pizza!" she giggled. RJ smiled, amused._

"_Because Karma is…" he started and Layla finished for him, nearly bouncing in her seat._

"…_the cycle of life animals and humans are both subject to!" _

"_Besides life and death," he reminded her and she nodded. _

"_Besides that," she agreed. _

RJ smiled as he looked around. He'd done his best to make Layla's dream a reality. The only thing missing was Layla herself.

"Hey RJ, can I ask a favor?" Fran asked as she came out. He shrugged.

"Sure, what do you need Frannie?" he asked, using the nickname his three new students had given her. As usual, a dull flush spread from her neck up; she still wasn't used to the automatic friendships she'd gained the last few weeks.

"Can I catch a ride home? My car broke down yesterday," she asked embarrassedly. RJ looked around and then through the kitchen.

"Sure, they can handle cleanup," he smiled at her and she smiled brightly back. RJ resisted the urge to chuckle—some days she reminded him so strongly of Layla it was uncanny. The two left, RJ getting into the drivers seat of the delivery truck. As they left, Fran started babbling about the day. He looked over at her, remembering the first day they'd met.

_The pizza parlor was fairly quiet, despite it was the middle of lunch hour. He'd only opened a few days before and so far, word of mouth hadn't traveled very far—mostly he just had a small amount of high school students who came by every so often during their lunch hour. Today, however, was Saturday and the only customers were two families with little cubs. _

_RJ heard the door open and turned with a bright smile._

"_Welcome to Jungle Karma Pizza, what is your karma urging you to get today?" he asked, bouncing. The small woman in front of him smiled shyly, looking around._

"_Pizza?" she asked innocently. RJ smiled. _

"_Well you've come to the right place!" he handed her a menu and she took it with a quiet thanks. As she sat down at the bar area, her smile lit up when she saw what was on the menu. Within minutes, he was making a small personal pizza for the girl who became his greatest promoter. _

"_What's your name?" he asked curiously when she finally left four hours later. She started, blushing._

"_Fran?" she whispered, as if a question. RJ smiled._

"_Well come back anytime Fran," he told her enthusiastically._

_So she did._

"RJ? You okay?" Fran asked worriedly. RJ shook himself from his memories and saw that they were in front of Fran's house. He smiled at her.

"Just remembering when you and I met," he told her. She blushed, proving that some things never changed.

"That was a while ago," she observed and he nodded.

"I'd only just opened," he agreed. She smiled.

"Good night RJ. And thanks for the ride," she told him before slipping from the car. He waved and headed back to JKP and home.

Once back, he made sure Casey and Lily were progressing without more food or water fights before heading up to his personal den. Inside, he grabbed the only picture he had of Layla. Brown hair cascading down her back, her cheeks a bit chubby but bright with energy, and her green eyes twinkling, it was obvious she was happy as she clung to RJ. As always, RJ chuckled at the bemused expression on his own face as he looked down at her. Master/student portraits usually were calm, quiet, and formal; he and Layla would not have been able to pull that off if their lives depended on it. As he stared at the portrait, he remembered the last time he'd heard Layla's name out loud.

"_RJ," the quiet voice brought RJ a stop. Slowly turning around, he was shocked to find his former Master standing behind him, dressed in crimson and black outfit. He looked around; the rest of the customers were in their own world, even Fran as she talked animatedly with a professor from the local college who'd wandered in. He gave his order pad to his new employee, Rebecca, and led Mao to the back. As they settled in the loft, RJ couldn't help but feel wary. Master Mao hadn't spoken to him since RJ had told him he was leaving the monastery. _

"_Layla has left the Pai Zhuq," he told him without preamble. RJ froze. _

"_What?" he asked, confused. Master Mao sighed. _

"_She recently discovered from one of our older students, Jarrod, that you were forced to severe ties with her by order of the Masters. She was angry and hurt. She informed me before she left that things need to change at the monastery or we're going to start losing more students. I learned from Master Kanoi of the Wind Academy that she has requested to continue her training there as a mixed student. He and his sensei's agreed," he explained sadly. RJ swallowed but didn't say anything. He'd learned long ago that the best way to receive knowledge from Master Mao was be quiet and patien and right now he wanted to know everything._

"_The Masters are upset and a few of them are angry and blame you. We had hoped she would lead the newest generation in protecting the Chest," he admitted. RJ smirked._

"_So she __**was**__ the best we had," he realized and Master Mao nodded._

"_It was something that particularly irked the others—despite their misgivings, you were the best teacher we had," he agreed. RJ smiled, pleased. _

"_Now, we must find three new students. Two in particular are extremely promising. I have misgivings on the third but I suppose we'll see how he does in the long run," he sighed. RJ raised an eyebrow._

"_Thank you for the information on Layla but why did you come and tell me. The others will probably be upset," he pointed out. Master Mao nodded._

"_Indeed, they will. However, I have a need of you," he told him, his face turning serious. RJ straightened; Master Mao had never said one way or the other how he felt about RJ and Layla but he'd always treated RJ well. If he could help, he would._

"_What is it?" he asked worriedly._

"_I have a belief that something will happen, that Dai Shi may escape his confinement. I need you prepared to fight him if this comes to past," he told him in a quiet voice. RJ swallowed._

"_Why not tell the other Masters?" he asked carefully. Master Mao stood up and began pacing. _

"_They believe that we are safe, that there is no way Dai Shi can escape while we watch over those guarding him. They are so…stuck on the old ways, as your student once said, that they cannot fathom anything going wrong. I fear they will be useless to us if Dai Shi does escape. You, young Master, know that anything is possible and will have the strength and ability to see the Guardians through whatever may come if I cannot," he told him. RJ stood up, face calm though inside he was near dancing. Finally, a Master who trusted him!_

"_What can I do?"_

RJ sighed as he heard Casey, Lily, and Theo talking animatedly in the living area. A bouncing sound made it obvious they were playing basketball.

"This wasn't what I was expecting, Master Mao. Getting three new students?" he sighed and gently placed the picture back on the table by his bed and grabbed his meditation mat. After the trip through memory lane today, he _needed_ some quiet mind time.

"Think of it as your chance to prove Mistress Lin Ta and the others wrong, my Wolf," a quiet voice whispered across his face. RJ's eyes snapped open and he looked around wildly.

"Layla?" he breathed, not daring to hope.

"I'm so proud of you," the voice ghosted by again. RJ swallowed a lump.

"I'll prove that I was an okay Master. I'll make you proud, Layla," he whispered.

"You already have, my Wolf."


	2. Chapter 2: Wind Academy

**Author:** Jadelyn Tate  
**Story:** Memoirs of a Master  
**Pairings:** RJ/OC (primary)  
**Disclaimer:** I own Layla, Mistress Lin Ta, and this idea. I own nothing else, I do this merely for fun, not profit  
**Summary:** RJ remembers his first student and how he ended up owning a pizza parlor.  
**Author Notes:** I wasn't going to do this; Memoirs was supposed to be a one shot. However, the damn bunny would not leave me alone; in fact, she got friends. (scowls)

* * *

Tori Hansen frowned as she looked over and saw her newest and probably best student sitting in the pouring rain as she stared at the waterfall. Pushing away the rain before it could touch her, Tori gingerly made her way over to the purple clad woman.

"Layla, what are you doing?" Tori asked, crouching down next to her. Layla started and turned to Tori, her face blank and pale. The water sensei frowned and gingerly touched Layla's shoulder; she was startled when images flew into her mind.

_A man was meditating as Layla, her form so wispy it was obvious she was astral projecting, gently caressed his face. The man's eyes snapped open when Layla's whisper reached his ears. _

"_Think of it as your chance to prove Mistress Lin Ta and the others wrong, my Wolf."_

"_Layla?" The man's voice was soft, pleading, but with an edge of disbelief. _

"_I'm so proud of you," Layla whispered and Tori saw the man swallow as tears come to his eyes._

"_I'll prove that I was an okay Master. I'll make you proud, Layla," he whispered in the location Layla and Tori stood. Watching the scene, Tori realized how much her student cared for the man as Layla's eyes filled with water._

"_You already have, my Wolf," she whispered gently before a sudden jarring broke the projection._

Tori gingerly opened her eyes and found them wet and not from the rain. Layla sat in a ball next to her, rocking back and forth and projecting such a sense of loss and sorrow that Tori didn't even hesitate to pull the girl to her. As the normally stoic girl collapsed against her in tears, Tori shed a few herself. She finally knew why Layla had requested admittance as a mixed student. She and her Master must have fallen in love and judging by what she knew of the Pui Zhuq, the Council of Master and Mistresses had forced them apart.

"I'm so sorry, Layla," Tori murmured, knowing that she probably wouldn't hear her through the rain and Layla's own sobs.

* * *

"Hey, is everything okay?" Cam asked when Tori returned to the academy with Layla sound asleep in Dustin's arms. Cam frowned when Tori put a finger to her lips and motioned for him to follow them as they made their way to Layla's room. Cam opened the door using his master key and Dustin gingerly placed her on her bed. Tori moved in and took the girls shoes, socks, and ninja top off, leaving her in her training pants and a white and purple tank top. As Tori did that, Dustin and Cam inspected the room, not having seen how the mixed student had decorated her living quarters.

Being one of the few students who lived at the academy year round, Layla's room was smaller than the dormitories, with a private bathroom. The room was exceptionally bare—the walls were white with orange trim; the bed was nearly a cot, covered with purple and white linens. Next to it was a wooden nightstand with an alarm clock and picture frame. The desk was bare but for a laptop and printer and the bookcase held one shelf of books and one shelf of pictures. The only thing of interest besides the pictures was a small shrine that was set up on a leather-bound trunk at the foot of the bed.

The shrine was small, but elaborate. Sitting in the middle of the trunk, a small miniature of the Monastery and training mats was the centerpiece. Carved wooden animals sat on each side of the training mat, facing a red, blue, yellow, and purple candle that sat in the center. Cam studied the four candles and was surprised to find that four animals were carved into them; a cheetah on the yellow, a jaguar on the blue, a tiger on the red, and a wolf on the purple. The monastery miniature was lined with a string of meditation beads. On either side of the beads were a bowl of water, a wooden fan, a small potted flower, and a gold candle. Four smaller white candles were placed at each corner of the trunk, each with a symbol of a direction on it.

"Come on, she needs to get some rest," Tori whispered and the three left. Cam and Dustin followed Tori to the commons kitchen, where they found Cam's father, Master Sensei Kanoi Watanabe, and the Air Sensei, Shane Clarke. Shane took one look at Tori and straightened.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly as the three took a seat. Tori sighed.

"I found out why Layla left the Monastery," she told them softly. Cam, Shane, and Dustin perked up. They were all curious about their newest student; only Kanoi knew why Layla had come to them.

"What happened?" Dustin asked, his usual carefree attitude lost behind his concern. When he'd went looking for Tori, he'd found her cradling a sobbing Layla in her arms. He hadn't made his presence known until the mixed student had fallen asleep. To make matters worse, Tori herself had slight tear stains on her cheeks. Dustin may have been an airhead but he knew Tori only cried when something was seriously wrong.

"She and her Master fell in love. Neither admitted it to the other but the Council of Masters and Mistresses figured it out. They separated them and told her Master not to contact her again. He left the monastery and is mentoring the newbie's in Ocean's Bluff," Tori explained quietly. Cam and Dustin both winced; the Wind Academy had the same policy but only for underage students. If a student was legal, the relationship was allowed; if the student wasn't legal, they student and sensei was separated. This was why Cam was allowed to date one of Shane's students while Dustin could date Marah.

The Pui Zhuq had no such leniency—Master/student relationships were forbidden no matter the student's ages. This was mostly due to the fact it normally took years for a student to reach Master status. Before Richard James, the youngest student to reach his Master status had been 36 years old—and he'd been studying since he was fifteen. Richard James had broken that record by a good fifteen years; he'd been named a Master of the Wolf at the age of 19, after studying 6 years with Master Mao.

According to what Mao had said when he'd escorted Layla to the Wind Academy a few months before, they had had four students who were fairly close to breaking Richard's record themselves—Layla, a girl named Lily, and two young men, Theo and Jarrod. Layla had been studying at the Monastery for three years, Jarrod and Lily two, Theo a year and a half. Master Mao believed these four would be the next generation of great Masters. Now, all four of those students were no longer at the Monastery. Layla was with them; Jarrod had disappeared completely after getting booted by the late Master Mao; and Theo and Lily were with another young boy in Ocean's Bluff as the newest generation of rangers.

"I always though the Monastery was way too strict," Shane shook his head. Tori and the others nodded as Kanoi gave a small smile.

"Master Mao would agree with you," he told them. "He believed that the rules were outdated and unfair. He believed their love helped strengthened their gifts and strengthened them as a team. If it had been his choice alone, they would have been left alone. That's why he spoke to me on her behalf—if she can attain the status of an Elemental Mistress, she will have the power to make changes at the Monastery."

"But she's not a Pui Zhuq student anymore—how will she be able to make changes?" Dustin asked, confused.

"She has already attained the necessary requirements to be a Mistress by their standards—by training with us, that will only be reinforced. She will take her Mistress exam at the Monastery and tested by them. When they make her a Mistress of the Claw, she and her former Master can be together and no one can object. Together, Master Mao hoped they will lead the next generation in improving the Pui Zhuq," Kanoi explained to the four surprised Sensei's.

"That's why she came here, isn't it? So she could get the experience to form closer relations between the Academy and Monastery," Cam surmised and Kanoi nodded.

"Master Mao wanted her to study at the Elemental temples and the Thunder Academy for the same reason," Kanoi agreed.

"That explains how she was astral projecting." Tori realized and the others looked at her askance.

"She can astral project?" Shane asked in shock and Tori nodded. Successful astral projection was the signal that a student was ready to be a Master or Mistress. One had to be in complete harmony with the elements and their inner beast to achieve it. Shane's eyes hardened and he looked over at Kanoi, his expression one of complete seriousness.

"So what can we do to help?"

* * *

**End Notes:** Thanks to_Overdrive Red_,_Blackguard_, and _Tierra_ for the reviews of chapter 1!

I have a quick request for all the reviewers before we get to my news: Please, when/if you review, don't mention anything about JF or OO. I've seen the eps, I know what happens, but not everyone does. I dislike getting spoiled and tend to get upset when spoilers are placed in fairly open locations. For people who read the reviews to see if they should read a fic (like I tend to do), posting such /news in reviews kinda upsets people. Also? IMO, reviews should be about the fic in question, not random stuff about the season. So….please, if it's not about the fic, do not mention it.

(sighs)

Ya'll are gonna hate me.

I've decided, once again, to put the Legacy series on the back burner. I've been working on it for close to three years now with very few chapter fics in between. Most of the time I wrote one shots and such and that helped, at first. But now, honestly, it's driving me crazy. I have to force myself to write and...that's not good. As a good friend told me, "Don't try and force it. It'll hurt the fic." and I don't want to (hurt it, that is). Legacy was my first serious fic and it means a lot to me and if I screw it up, I'm not gonna be happy.

So, until further notice, there will be no more chapters of Birthright or any fics in _that_universe. It is officially on hiatus.

Again, I apologize, but I have to work on other stuff for a while or I'm gonna go nuts.

Finally, for those of you like me…Have a good (and SAFE) Spring Break!


	3. Chapter 3: Dance Master

**Author:** Jadelyn Tate**  
Story:** Memoirs of a Master  
**Pairings:** RJJ/OC  
**Disclaimer:** I own Layla, Mistress Lin Ta, and this idea. I own nothing else, I do this merely for fun, not profit  
**Summary:** RJ remembers his first student and how he ended up owning a pizza parlor.  
**Author Notes:** This is set after _Can't Win Them All._

* * *

"Tori, why is Layla giggling like mad?" Shane asked the water ninja a few days later. Tori shrugged, her lips twitching as the Pui Zhuq student started laughing again for no apparent reason.

"She was astralling earlier, that's all I know," she replied as Dustin came over.

"Why is she laughing?" he asked and they both shrugged. Dustin watched Layla as she broke down in giggles again, Cam scowling as he tried getting her to do the move he was supposed to be teaching her.

"Hey, Layla, what's with all the giggles?" Dustin called. Cam shot the Earth ninja an annoyed look, something Layla took note of through her amusement. She placed a hand on the Samurai's arm, her eyes bright with mirth.

"I'm sorry, Sensei. I was astral projecting earlier and found RJ in some…I'm-alone-in-the-house-lets-party time. Now you're teaching me a move that resembles something I saw him use as he, uh, tried to dance," she explained, giggling again at the end. Cam scowled again and Tori grinned.

"I take it he can't dance?" she asked, amused. Layla snickered, her mind going back to his dancing attempts.

"No, he really can't. Not alone anyway. When he has a dancing partner who actually knows what she's doing, he's usually okay. But without someone to lead…he tends to dance like Sensei Dustin," she shrugged. Cam, Tori, and Shane looked at Dustin who was grinning.

"Sweet!" he enthused and then frowned when the four started snickering.

"What? It was a compliment!" he exclaimed. He suddenly turned to Layla, frowning. "It _was_ a compliment, right?" he asked. She nodded, patting his arm.

"Sure, Sensei Dustin. It was a compliment," she agreed, hiding a smile. Tori shot her a thumbs up which she quickly hid when Dustin turned to her and Shane in triumph.

"See! I can dance!" he exclaimed, not noticing when Layla motioned for Cam to show her the move again. This time she was able to hold her laughter in long enough to perform it. She smiled brightly at Cam, bouncing on her toes as he looked at her in amusement.

"Next one?"

* * *

"Sometimes I wonder about my students. Layla wasn't nearly this hard to understand," RJ murmured to himself as he set the table for that night's dinner. Contrary to popular belief, he didn't eat pizza 24/7. Granted, he did eat it a lot, but not as much as everyone assumed. Every night, in fact, he made a home-cooked meal that did not include pizza dough. He grinned at the realization.

"What's for dinner?" Theo asked as he came over. RJ shot him a smile.

"Chops, trees with cheese, mushy mountains, gold nuggets, and rocks!" he replied happily. Theo frowned and gingerly lifted the cover of one of the pots at the table. Inside was broccoli and cheese. Lifting the others he found the "mushy mountains" were mashed potatoes, the "gold nuggets" was corn, and the "rocks" were actually biscuits. Placing the napkin back over the biscuits, he shook his head. With RJ you could never be too sure.

"You have some weird names for things, you know that?" he mentioned off-handedly as he went to go get four plates. RJ just shrugged.

"Weird is a state of mind," he replied back sagely. Theo stopped and looked at him.

"Is there _anything_ that's _not_ a 'state of mind'?" he asked. RJ stood at the table, his hand holding a cheese covered spoon, thinking.

"Pizza," he finally answered as Casey and Lily came up. RJ went back to stirring the broccoli and cheese. Theo rolled his eyes as Lily grabbed the utensils and Casey grabbed some extra napkins.

"So, you got your game back, eh Theo?" Casey asked as they sat down to eat. Theo nodded as one by one the plates were filled and they began eating. RJ absently began humming as the other three discussed that day's battle.

"I know that song! That's from the Lion King!" Lily suddenly blurted out. RJ's eyes lit up and he nodded happily at the yellow ranger across from him.

"Yeah, it's Chow Down from the off Broadway musical. I saw it a few years back—got the soundtrack cause Layla loves music," he replied off-handedly. Lily frowned as Casey and Theo shot each other amused looks.

"Who's Layla?" Lily asked just as RJ took a drink. The three rangers stared at him in surprise as he promptly began choking.

Once his choking fit was over, RJ stared at the three of them in thought. Faintly, he could hear what sounded like amused laughter but judging by the others stares, they couldn't hear anything. Deciding his mind was playing tricks on him (again), he took a sip before answering her.

"Layla was my first and only student before you three. Back when I was still at the Monastery," he said. Lily smiled brilliantly at him.

"Really? Where is she now?" she asked curiously as the boys just watched and listened. They'd learned early on that when they wanted information, it was best to let Lily do the asking; for some reason, he told her more than he told the boys.

"At the Wind Academy, studying the elements. I think," he told her, his eyes closing off. Theo frowned.

"But why isn't she still with you? Aren't Master and students supposed to stay together?" he asked, confused. RJ nodded, looking unhappy. He twitched as he felt a gentle pressure on his shoulder. Without knowing how, he knew Layla was listening in.

"We were separated. Mistress Lin Ta and many of the other Master's didn't approve of my way of training," he explained after deciding on telling them the half truth. Lily made a face.

"That doesn't make sense! Sure, you're ways are unorthodox, but they work! Look at Casey and Theo!" Lily exclaimed. The two aforementioned boys shot her looks.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Casey demanded as RJ's eyes glazed over.

"_Oooh, I like her. Better watch out my Wolf; she's the type who will give you sass,"_ Layla's voice whispered, highly amused. RJ made a face.

"Like you?" he muttered and a delighted laugh answered him as the trio squabbled, completely unaware that their Master wasn't paying any attention to them.

"_You enjoyed my sass, my Wolf," _she reminded him and he smiled in agreement._ "By the way, loved your dance earlier,"_ she whispered before the feeling of her presence faded from the area.

Casey, Theo, and Lily stopped squabbling as RJ abruptly turned red. Shooting each other confused looks, they watched as RJ looked down at his food and began eating. Completely ignoring their inquiring stares, he didn't look up again until his plate was empty. Finally looking up, he gave them a bright smile, his cheeks still a bit pink.

"That was good. Eat up you three. Don't want you fainting from hunger during your next battle…or your next shift," he told them pointedly before standing up. He glanced around and settled on Theo.

"Your turn for dishes, Theo," he announced and the blue ranger nodded, deciding not to argue with their puzzling master.

* * *

Once he was safely inside is den, RJ sat on the bed and scowled. He could feel Layla's presense again; it was faint but she was still there.

"That was not nice, Layla," he said to empty air. A faint giggle answered him from somewhere by his dresser.

"_Maybe, but it was fun,"_ she replied. RJ's scowl faded to a concerned frown.

"Be careful with this, my Vixen. If the Sensei's there catch you…," he trailed off as something rapped gently on his nose.

"_Hakuna Matata, my Wolf. The Sensei's don't care as long as I stay safe,"_ she told him lightly. _"They said that I can contact you each night if I so wish."_

"Really?" he asked, his voice hopeful. Layla presence flickered.

"_Yes. We may not be together physically, but we will always be together in spirit. Isn't that what you whispered when they made you move out?"_ she asked lightly. He nodded, remembering her tearstained face when he'd left. He'd been on the edge of the Monastery grounds; she'd been at the door, staring at him, begging him to come back with her eyes as she cried. He'd hoped she would hear his whisper on the wind and apparently she had.

"_Hakuna Matata, my Wolf. You need your rest and so do I,"_ her voice was quiet, instinctively knowing where his thoughts had gone. RJ frowned.

"You're leaving?" he asked dejectedly. He could almost see her nod as she answered.

"_Yes. I'm still working the kinks out of this. It's…taxing," _she admitted quietly. He smiled softly.

"Then rest. When you can, come back and we'll chat. But don't neglect your learning," he added, smiling when a small giggle filled the air.

"_Yes, Master,"_ she teased. RJ smiled as a slight wind fluttered over his eyes.

"Good night, my Vixen," he whispered. Her presence faded as her reply reached his ears.

"_Sleep tight, my Wolf."_

* * *

**End Notes: **Thanks to Tierra, Blackguard, GinaStar, barfmaster, and PinkRangerV for the reviews!


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